GOVERNMENT. Owing to the heterogeneity of the population of Bengal and the wide dissimi larity in the intellectual capacity of the inhabit ants, the government of Bengal has been highly centralized. At the head of the administration is the Lieutenant-Governor, who practically exer cises the executive power unassisted by any political body. The legislative power is nomi nally shared by him with the Legislative Council, which consists partly of members elected by the people; but even this nominal attempt at repre sentative government is practicallyinvalidated by the provision which demands the sanction of all measures by the Viceroy or the Secretary of State for India before they are introduced in the Coun cil. Thus a territory. exceeding the area of the British Isles by one-fourth, and with nearly twice their population. is governed by a few officials, without allowing the natives a voice in the man agement. For administrative purposes Bengal is divided into nine divisions. five in Bengal proper, two in Behar, one in Orissa, and one in Chota-Nagpnr. These divisions are adminis tered by commissioners, who have entire charge of their respective territories, and have under their control the district officers. The latter are in charge of the districts into which every division is subdivided, performing the execu tive, legislative, and judicial functions. The
functions of the High Court of Calcutta are mostly supervisory; but it has also original jurisdiction within the limits of Calcutta. Every district officer is also at the head of the police department, which is directly managed by a superintendent of police. In the larger munici palities (of which there are very few in Bengal) the government is more representative in char acter, and taxpayers ere accorded the privilege of electing their representatives to the municipal board.
Education is provided for partly by the Gov ernment schools, partly by schools aided by the Government, and partly by private schools. The report for 1900 gives the number of schools of the first kind as 372, with an attendance of about 40,000; of the second, about 39,000, with an at tendance of nearly 1190,000; and of the third kind, over 25.000. with an attendance of about 460,000. These educational institutions include 44 art colleges, 471 high English schools, 950 middle English schools. 1045 middle vernacular schools, and 504 special schools of all kinds.
The Bengal Army is the term applied to the troops raised in Bengal for service with the Indian native army. The cavalry troops of the Bengal Army, and particularly the lancer regi ments, are world-famous.